West Indies' Marlon Samuels (right) cuts while South Africa's wicketkeeper, Mark Boucher, watches on the first day of the second Test in Cape Town yesterday. - Reuters

CAPE TOWN (Reuters):

FAST BOWLERS Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini shared six wickets to earn the advantage for South Africa on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies yesterday.

The West Indies, who won the toss and chose to bat despite cloudy skies, were 240 for eight at the close.

Steyn took four for 60 and Ntini claimed two for 63 to undo much of the good work of Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul who completed a stand of 106 after West Indies slumped to 77 for three before lunch.

Samuels scored 51 and Chanderpaul was 64 not out at stumps.

A lively pitch added to the fast bowlers' advantage and Steyn had Daren Ganga caught behind off the outside edge by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for three in the fifth over.

Morton falls

Chris Gayle and Runako Morton shared 59 runs for the second wicket before Morton, who scored 23, lofted a drive off fast bowler Jacques Kallis to be caught by Ntini at mid-off.

In the sixth over before lunch Gayle, who hit two fours and two sixes in his 46, drove loosely at a ball from fast bowler Andre Nel and was superbly caught by a diving Neil McKenzie in the gully.

Samuels, who took 73 balls to score his first two runs, and Chanderpaul stabilised the innings with slow but sure batting.

South Africa wasted a chance to dismiss Samuels for two in the fourth over after lunch when Ntini dropped a hard-hit return catch.

The fourth-wicket pair were parted in the ninth over after tea when Samuels edged a ball from Ntini to Boucher to end an innings of more than three hours.

Ntini strikes

Ntini struck again in his next over when Dwayne Bravo was well held low down by Kallis at second slip to be dismissed for a fourth-ball duck.

Steyn used the second new ball to trap Denesh Ramdin in front for 21. He bowled Rawl Lewis with his next delivery, but Jerome Taylor blocked the hat-trick delivery.

Taylor was out for eight in the third to last over of the day when he spliced a rising delivery from Steyn into the bowler's hands.

Daren Powell, who did not score off the six balls he faced, helped Chanderpaul take the West Indies to the close with no further loss.

The West Indies won the first Test by 128 runs in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.